Release Valves

I have moments when I feel like the weight of my life is about the crush me. There are moments when the mix of work, school, social relationships, house maintenance (damn laundry!), volunteerism and personal interests is so thick I have difficulty moving. At times like these I need to relieve the pressure. I need to find some way of release in order to re-establish my focus and move forward. Sometimes it is a day off. Sometimes it is an extended assignment. Sometimes it is a dropped activity. As this weekend approached I felt trapped in my mind as I tried to figure out how to achieve everything necessary in the coming week and it was crushing. My solution - sadly - was to cancel my trip back home to spend Thanksgiving with my family.

Even as I write this I feel bad about that. I feel bad that I could not prioritize my family and friends above my work and school this week. But the deadlines were just that - deadly. And so I have taken this weekend to collect myself. But before that I took the start of this weekend (Friday night) to engage in some socializing that I had long pushed aside. It have not seen any of my school colleagues since school commenced. I have not made it out to a single MBA event all fall. And so, I opened my little yellow apartment to the masses still in town on Friday and had a gathering. It was another way to relieve some pressure - to find some release in friendly faces and cold drinks. I felt so happy that many people came to visit. I hope everyone had a good time. It looks like they did.

In the end, my plan is working. I can feel my focus returning as I get some time alone to work on projects that have been left untouched. Sometimes I have moments where the momentum of my life feels like it is dragging me behind a cart that I can't stop. This weekend I stopped the cart. I took a breath. I got back to me. Thank you to my family and friends I did not see for their understanding. Thank you to all my friends who came to see me for your kindness.